Happy is what happens when your dreams come true
by Jane Bennett
Summary: ...is it not? Klaus wakes up to a different life. Everything has changed. But for the better? He walks around a house that has long been altered while he wonders where his family is. Caroline? His siblings? No one seems to be there. So, where is he? Didn't he fall asleep right next to his beloved Caroline? This story can be read as a sequel to "Cursed Gifts" but it is no must-do!
1. Chapter 1

_Hello everyone!_

 _I really cannot stay away for long.=D_

 _Anyway, this is a story that has been sitting on my laptop for a long time and I finally decided to publish it and see if someone is interested._

 _About the **contents** :_

 _Everyone who has read my story **"Cursed Gifts"** knows the **set up** and you will also meet two chracters from the story again in later chapters, but let me tell you that if you not read the story before it is perfectly fine! **You will understand everything anyway, I promise!**_

 _However, the **starting point** of this story:  
Klaus and Caroline are already together for a long time now and he has solved the issues he had with his siblings. He leads a perfectly different life now from what he had once wished for (little hint there at the title;)) and he has made peace with it. Of course he still has to look over his shoulder every now and then for his enemies!_

 _Well, with that settled, let's jump right in and please tell me if I should upload more chapters!=)_

 _Happy reading!_

* * *

He opened his eyes slowly when his subconscious noticed the changes in light. The sun was already up and a few dull rays weaved its way through the thick red curtains that hid the widows and the world behind it. A world that was about to wake up.

Birds were chirping happily and the last drops of the night's cold water dream, began to melt away.

Klaus Mikaelson drew a deep breath and his muscles stirred slightly. He turned his head to the other side to face away from the curtains, as if he could drown out the birds and sunlight that was disturbing his deep slumber.

He took another deep breath and blinked for a few times trying to shake the sleep off. A soft moan escaped his lips as he stretched his sleepy limbs. He was too lazy to fully open his eyes yet thus he could only make out hazy silhouettes in the room around him.

The covers were warm and far too comfortable to shake off. A deep content sigh left his lungs and he rolled over to the other sight of the large bed.

However, a frown crept across his forehead first.

He was laying rock still while his brain tried to solve a puzzle.

Something was wrong.

Something was very wrong.

Because…

At once his mind was full awake. The birds sounded louder while his eyes flew open and he supported the weight of his body on his arms. One quick look was enough to tell him that the bed and the room were empty. Though, everything looked normal, nothing was.

There was the dressing table, cluttered with his stuff. The plush chair in front of it held the clothes he had just worn yesterday.

The frown on his face deepened as did his confusion.

He listened to the silence inside the room and even extended it to the attached bathroom, although the dark door framed signalled no light inside. No.

There was definitely only one beating heart in the room.

His.

But he should not be alone!

Where was Caroline?

The covers flew off his body with one swift movement of his hand and he walked towards the bathroom.

She was never awake before him.

He would wake up first thing the sun showed its head, if he wanted to or not. It had always been like that, he had been raised to go to bed at sunset and rise again at sunrise. Caroline, however, liked to lie in whenever she could.

And before Caroline, he had immediately risen to the new day, already concocting the plans for the day even before the first cup of coffee. But since she had entered his life and his bed room as a permanent resident, he had changed and become calmer. He had learned how fulfilling it could be to not jump right out of bed.

He would turn to her and pull her warm body against his to spend at least half an hour relishing in her presence.

He flicked the light on even though he knew that the bathroom was definitely empty.

Huffing he switched the light off again. With one hand buried in his hair he strode over to the door of the room.

Sure they had had a fight yesterday, but had it been that bad?

* * *

"I hate you!" Caroline yelled and glowered at him. The angry fire in her eyes burnt his soul and left a tingling feeling behind. He loved her fire. He hated their fights, but there was this part of him that loved her fire and thus loved their fights. Not mentioning the awesome make up sessions…

"Caroline, we have had this before, you are not coming!" Klaus told her again determinedly.

Caroline ground her teeth and stared angrily at Klaus who tried to stare her down, but being Caroline, she did not back off. She would never do that and that's the other part about why he loved her so much.

Klaus tried to suppress his grin. "Love." He put his hands onto her shoulders, but Caroline shook them off. "Those witches are not amused about us being here, which means that…"

"I know that! I know how dangerous they are and I know that you want to protect me, but can't you get it into your thick head that I am worried as well, that I can help you? I am just as capable…"

"No, love, you are not!"

"You have trained me!"

"That I did, but immortality cannot be trained! I am not letting you run into your ruin! You are capable, but not in…"

"Well, try to stop me!"

Klaus flexed his fingers and fought his demons inside. He loved Caroline. He loved her to death.

Literally.

That's when her body dropped lifelessly to the ground.

"I love you too much." He mumbled and stared at her for a second with sad eyes, before he carefully picked her up to carry her into their room. He placed her onto the bed and push her hair out of her face. His fingers ran down the side of her face.

He would be back before her neck would heal.

* * *

He groaned and rolled his eyes while he jogged down the stairs.

Admittedly, he really had been an ass and Caroline would of course punish him for that, but he wouldn't have thought that she'd stay away from him. She had never done that before.

If anything _she_ would have kicked _him_ out of the room.

So, why would she sleep on the couch now?

The house was silent and the shadows were still pitch black from the lack of full morning light. His bare feet were almost soundless on the floor. But Klaus did not need to be silent inside his own house, did he?

He rounded the corner and carefully pushed the door to the living room open.

He knew that the sight of the new colourful interior would still be new to him for a while, but despite he felt like it had been the right decision to give Caroline free reign. For Caroline had made it her project to brighten up the house and give it her personal touch, thereby making it a little more to her own home. Claiming the space inside the house that would from now on always belong to her.

He pushed the door open and suddenly drew in a sharp breath.

His face hardened when he looked at the room in front of him.

"What the…?"

He stepped inside spinning around his own axe. Not believing his eyes, his mouth fell open when he stared at the dark walls around.

There was his black leather couch, on each side a tray with liquor; the old book shelves made from dark cherry wood, full of centuries of history and dust; the rusty fireplace covered in deep black soot.

What the hell happened here?

Everything was back as it had been before, when he had originally built the mansion.

Where was Caroline's stuff?

The new red couch she had picked? The curtains? The new lamps to lighten up the room?

No, this was impossible!

He quickly exited the room and closed the door behind him. But before he started to move again he paused for a moment and then opened the door again. This was a mistake!

But when he opened his eyes, he was still staring at the cold dark interior.

Klaus shook his head and walked back into the hall. He perked up his eyes and listened to any movement. He heard the cars outside on the street, the birds in the trees, a dog was barking somewhere.

But there was no sound within the house. Nothing!

It was deaf silent.

Too silent!

The blood was starting to pump quickly through his whole body.

He proceeded into the kitchen.

The surfaces of the table and the counter tops shone in the light that blinked shyly through the windows.

Everything was clean and neat. There were no stains, there was no dirty dishes in the sink, there was no food lying around.

Everything looked like the kitchen in the real estate catalogues. Almost sterile instead of homey.

Klaus heartbeat sped up.

This wasn't how this was supposed to look like at all!

At this time in the morning his big brother, Elijah would usually sit right there at the table and sip his morning tea while reading the paper. Klaus rounded the table. He would sit right there at the edge where he had made himself some room on the cluttered table prior, so he could indulge in his morning procedure. The table was not supposed to be empty!

Rebekah and Caroline always left their stuff lying around, not even mentioning Kol.

Where were the books and magazines? The purses and empty shopping bags? The CDs and DVDs? The mobiles and headphones? Empty cups and blood bags?

He frowned at the blinking space in front of him and one question formed in his mind.

When had someone last used this kitchen?

He lifted his nose. The air was stale and he wondered:

Has someone even used this room before?

There was a noise at the door and Klaus vamp-sped into the hall.

Only a second later was he breathing down the neck of the intruder while he pushed him violently against the wall with a loud thud.

"Who the hell are you?" He snarled and showed his fangs to let the man shudder in fear.

To his surprise the creature under his fingers didn't squirm or fight back. It just stared back at Klaus with a slightly confused, but dull expression.

"I am bringing you your blood bags, master, like every morning."

Klaus widened his eyes and he took a step back from the man, though not letting him out of his claws yet. His eyes fell to the bag in the young man's hand.

"Can I get you anything else, master Klaus?" He simply asked as if nothing fazed him.

Klaus hissed as the realisation kicked in and he let go of him entirely. "You are a hybrid!" He stated silently, but full of surprise.

The hybrid frowned. "Are you not feeling well?"

Klaus quickly pressed his lips together into a thin line and nodded. "Of course." He held out his hand for the bag and the young warrior handed it to him. "Thank you, er…"

"Antony."

"Right, Antony." Klaus opened the bag and peered into it. There were four blood bags in there, flavour A negative.

A negative?

His eyes shot up to Antony's face. The hybrid waited patiently with empty eyes.

Klaus pursed his lips. "Well, Antony, that would be all for now."

Antony nodded, but still seemed to be waiting for something.

Klaus raised his eyebrows and simply stared at him.

Antony suddenly seemed to get pretty nervous. "Er, I'll join the others in the town square then?" It was a question not a statement and Antony obviously wanted to have Klaus' approval.

Definitely hybrid.

Klaus nodded and Antony let out a relived breath before he quickly exited through the door.

Klaus then quickly moved towards the window and watched how the young hybrid left his property towards the town centre.

The others? Klaus thought.

What was going on here?

Hybrids? Unfamiliar rooms?

And not a familiar soul to be seen.

Something was so wrong!

He listened to the rooms upstairs.

Emptiness was all he heard, but he had to make sure. So he quickly put the blood into the empty fridge.

Yes, empty. Something was definitely not right!

He sped upstairs and pushed every door open with so much force that they almost fell out of the hinges.

Empty!

Empty!

The loud bangs echoed through the whole house.

Empty!

No one.

Nothing.

The beds were all unused.

The air smelled like moth balls and the windows made the sunlight looked dirty.

This was a bad joke, if this was even one.

Dread crept into his bones and Klaus tried to regain control over his breathing.

His hands were far from easy when he checked his phone.

The calling list only held names he didn't recognize at all, except for Antony that was and…Tyler Lockwood.

He shook his head not understanding any of this!

He dialled the number he had deeply engraved in his brain. The one he would never ever forget again. He waited feeling anxious and tied up.

"The number you have dialled has not been recognized. Please try again."

"What?"

Caroline would never ever change her number!

His chest constricted and breathing became pretty difficult when he felt the panic surge through his veins. It was a feeling that he had lost long ago, actually since he had realised that Caroline wouldn't leave him and with her his family, he had finally made peace with.

But right now it came back crashing down on him just like a tidal wave and pushed held him deep under water.

Klaus straightened closing his eyes and tried to draw steady breaths. One, two, three…it was like he had to shake off the effects of a nightmare that he could not get rid of.

There had to be a logical explanation for all of this!

There simply had to be!

He dialled the next number he knew by heart.

He breathed when the call went through.

Thank god! Everything would be explained now!

"What do you want Niklaus?" Instead of feeling irritated by the distant tone in Elijah's voice, Klaus immediately answered:

"Elijah! Where the hell are you? And where is Caroline? What the hell happened?"

There was silence on the other side and Klaus became wary.

"Brother?"

"Have you revived Rebekah again?"

Klaus frowned. "What? But…"

"As I told you before, I am not speaking to you until you undagger our sister, brother!" He practically spat the word in his face.

He daggered Rebekah? When? Why?

"Elijah, something is wrong. Where are you?"

The original sighed. "Not that it is any of your business, but I am in Paris."

"Paris?" What? "Elijah, where is Caroline?" He dreaded the answer but he had to know.

"Niklaus, I don't want to know anything about the ladies you occupy your time with. Now try to keep your hybrids on a leash, will you? One more week and you will have exposed us all!" His tone implied how mad he was at him and Klaus couldn't understand any of it.

"Elijah, I…"

"Farewell, brother."


	2. Chapter 2

_Hey guys!=)_

 _Thank you for the lovely reviews, your favourites and follows!_

 _I hope you will enjoy this chapter!_

 _Let me know what you think!=)_

 _xxx_

* * *

And with that the line disconnected.

Klaus stared at the phone in his hand.

" _Farewell, brother."_

Elijah's words were still ringing in his ears. His voice had had such a stern finality that he had never heard him saying before; and Elijah had often threatened to leave him for good. But this felt somehow different.

When Klaus had never quite believed it before, because their thousand years of history had formed a strong bond between them; a bond that could not be that easily broken and he believed that they would somehow always find back to one another, however, a chill travelled through his veins now; and he could not shake the feeling that he had to believe Elijah now.

He tried to shake the feeling of loss off, but it had already started to dig deeper into his guts.

Elijah, gone?

Klaus was still staring at the phone in his hand, not quite believing it and trying to make reason of everything.

Then Elijah's face was soon replaced by another. There was someone just as important to him that he feared of losing.

Every time he imagined her, she was smiling at him with her blond curls glowing just as bright as her white teeth.

He looked around.

Where was he?

Klaus stuffed the phone back into his pocket while he tried to convince himself that that had not been Elijah who he had just spoken to.  
Well, at least not his big brother Elijah who he had spent the last few years with.

And that this was not his home; not the place he had lived in for the last few years.

His eyes fell onto a closed door then, which planted another idea in his head.

He had the feeling that if he claimed to know himself as well as he thought he would, he knew where he had to check next.

His feet went slower downstairs this time, for he already knew that there was nothing there for him in this shrine that he had once built for himself and his family.

He walked down the corridor to the small door at the end of the hall and a small part of him didn't want to find out if his suspicion was justified.

Hadn't he just fought with all of them yesterday?

He was sure that he remembered the scene quite well.

* * *

"Oh, Nick for god's sake, just admit it!" Rebekah said.

"Yes, Nick, we will forgive you eventually for making us save you!" Kol smirked and Klaus was in his face a second later.

"Do not make me rip your head off. Everything was fine until you let Caroline out of the house!" Klaus growled and Caroline screamed angrily.

"So this is my fault!?"

"I knew you did not grow up with it, but ever heard of gender equality?" Rebekah snapped, standing next to Caroline and mimicking her scowl.

A growl swelled in Klaus' throat, but he held it back.

Kol smirked. "Remember me promising you to stay out of Caroline's way?"

Kol had hardly any time to run out of the room before Klaus lunged at him.

* * *

He switched on the light. The air in the cellar was cold and stuffy.

He sucked in a small breath when he saw what he had anticipated.

There they were.

His hand slid softly and almost lovingly over the surface of the first coffin. He opened it swiftly and looked at Rebekah's grey form.

He swallowed.

He hated to see his baby sister like this. He had always watched out for her especially. He quickly looked away and walked over to the next coffin.

The hinges did not make a sound.

Kol.

The only baby brother he had left and who idealized him a tad too much.

A dagger neatly pierced his vampire heart. His skin as grey as Rebekah's and his face just as peaceful.

But there was one more. His eyes rested on the third coffin.

Who was in there?

He frowned at the wood before he opened it.

His eyes widened and he tried to remember when he had last seen this face. It had been years ago.

As his eyes traced the features he realised that the fine lines had already started to blur in his memory and thus changing the image of the brother he had thought to be lost forever.

Now here he was, only a pull of a dagger away.

Finn.

He did not know what to feel. He only knew that this was the moment that proofed everything to him. That reassured Klaus that this was definitely not his home and especially not his time.

For a second he considered waking his siblings, but he stopped himself.

No.

He didn't know why he had daggered them and how they would react if he woke them now.

Caroline had become a mediator between all of them. She was the reason why they had grown together as a family during the last few years, but she wasn't here now.

A needle pierced his heart when he remembered Elijah's words: " _I don't want to know anything about the ladies you occupy your time with."_

Elijah always looked in awe and respect at Caroline for her humanity.

He shook his head and closed each coffin after the other again.

He had to find out what had happened and the first place he would start looking was the town square to where he had sent the hybrid off to.

One thing he needed to remember, though, was that he had to go back in time and mime as his old self. He had to remember his old self, the man he was before he had met Caroline and he didn't know if he still knew that man at all.

This would become more complicated than he originally thought.

* * *

The small town had changed since he had last seen it.

There were no people in the streets. Everything looked dull and lifeless. As if someone had sucked all the colours out of the small world.

He frowned at the silence that surrounded him and wondered what had happened.

A small hiss made him look to the left just in time to see the hand that had quickly drawn the curtain in front of the window. From afar he saw a young woman with her child walking his way, but when she spotted him she suddenly froze on the pavement.

He could practically see how fear radiated around her body while she tightened her grip on her daughters hand. The little girl stepped closer to her mother and tried to hide behind her. The mother swallowed and drew a breath obviously trying to decide what to do.

Klaus kept walking at a steady pace.

Then as if someone had turned a switch the woman flew around and ran into an alley way, dragging her small daughter behind her almost violently while she made her escape.

Klaus hesitated for a second. It was obvious that she was afraid of him. He squinted to his right where he saw that someone quickly entered his house and locked the door behind him.

A rake lay next to a pile of brown dead leaves, and it looked as if it had been abandoned in a haste.

People had always feared him, well those who knew, who and what he was.

But here in town everyone seemed to fear him and he wasn't sure if he liked that much public attention.

Klaus had always made sure that he stayed under the radar. He had to for over a thousand years of running from Mikael. He was not allowed to make a mistake that could get him caught.

But this version of him or whatever this was, had obviously a different opinion.

" _One more week and you will have us all exposed."_

Wasn't that what Elijah had said?

He knew that he was close to the town centre now. It was right around the next corner.

His view fell upon a square that used to be full of people once.

There were people around, all right. But then again they weren't just people.

Hybrids.

A whole pack of them.

Klaus stopped in his tracks and watched them for a moment.

Most of them were armed. Some vanished into some alleys as if they were patrolling the streets. A faint female scream hit his ears and he immediately thought about the woman with the small girl.

One of the hybrids spotted him and bowed at him.

"Sire, I hope everything is to your liking."

Klaus stepped closer and simply nodded at him. He noticed that the other hybrids had stopped as well and each one of them offered him a small bow.

He pursed his lips. "Any problems?" He muttered.

"No, sire. Last night's revolt was taken care of." The way that he said "taken care of" implied everything to Klaus.

Someone obviously died last night. "And we took the doppelgänger home again. She still refuses."

Elena!

Klaus attention was piqued. His look was stern though.

"Take me to her." He ordered and the hybrid nodded.

They walked towards the parking lot where a black SUV was waiting for them.

"Klaus!" A familiar voice called out to him and he turned around.

The creases around his eyes hardened. How much he hated that mutt!

"Tyler." He said trying to sound not too surprised.

Tyler came to a stop in front of him and he noticed immediately that he didn't seem to be as subdued as the other hybrids. He didn't bow and he came far too close for his taste. The mutt even grinned at him and out of the corner of his eyes he noticed that the hybrid who had walked him to the car took a step back.

Interesting.

So Tyler must have a higher position in his pack of sired hybrids.

"So, I sent more hybrids down to New Orleans like you told me to. Marcel tries to pull the witches to his side, but they told me that if we help them restore the balance, they will help us put Marcel into his place."

Klaus swallowed. So Marcel seized the city and has the power over the witches. Nothing new there.

Tyler stared at him waiting for a response.

"Well, let's not make any rash decision now, shall we?"

"But, Klaus, you said yourself that we need to act quickly now! The werewolves are on our side already. They are only waiting for our signal. If we have the witches behind us, it will be a piece of cake. You still stand with what you said right?"

Klaus drew an exaggerated sigh. "Remind me, what did I say?"

"That the city will be painted in read. That we will take them down. _All_ of them." Tyler sounded excited with so much might and power in his hands.

Klaus didn't like that. At all.

Klaus pursed his lips and tightened his jaw.

Tyler snorted. "We already killed half of them." He shrugged. "So, where's the big deal? Marcel betrayed you! Took your city! You cannot let him do that! Put one of us in his place and finally take your city back!"

A small smile played around Klaus' lips at Tyler's passionate talk. This was what he had dreamed of once. This was exactly what he had wanted.

Loyalty. Passion. Fear. War. A kingdom!

"You mean, I should put you in his place." He mocked.

Tyler shrugged. "Since I am the only one you fully trust with making decisions… besides I have dibs I was your first successful hybrid after all or did you already forget that?"

Klaus rolled his eyes and mumbled angrily. "How could I?"

Tyler smirked.

Klaus acted fast and out of the blue.

Tyler gulped when he slowly felt his feet losing the ground beneath him. He choked, but the hand around his throat did not show mercy. His head felt about to explode while Klaus simply stared at him with a hint of mockery in his blue eyes.

"I strongly advise you to not forget your place. You might be my right hand and my first successful hybrid, but I can easily turn you into my least successful hybrid, understand?" Klaus whispered menacingly and Tyler tried to nod.

Klaus shoved him onto the ground violently.

Even though he had once been proud at Tyler for being his first successful hybrid, he now just wanted to get rid of the mutt.

Tyler coughed and spit out some red blood.

Klaus turned around and wanted to head away, but when he was already a few feet away he spun back around, because Tyler coughed up some words that drew his attention back. "By the way, I put the Sheriff back into the cell, seems like she doesn't know anything."

"Liz Forbes?" Klaus asked staring at him.

Tyler cracked his neck. "Who else?"

Klaus simply gave him a killing glance and Tyler winced.

But Klaus needed to know one more thing from him.

He closed his eyes for a brief moment before he called out to Tyler. "What about her daughter?"

Tyler laughed.

"What daughter?"

* * *

Caroline turned around and smiled at him.

Klaus pulled her towards him. She smelled lovely so he buried his nose in her soft golden hair.

"Have I told you lately how much I hate you?"

Klaus smirked. "Mh…was that before or after the awesome make up sex?"

Caroline pursed her lips and pushed him onto his back. "Of course that is all you think about."

She followed him though and climbed half on top his chest where her hot skin left a burning trail behind.

"Well, I seem to not get you out of my mind."

She rolled her eyes. Klaus smiled and suddenly a thought crossed his mind. He pushed a blond strand of hair behind her ear.

"I never thought that I would be thankful to one of those pestering doppelgängers."

Caroline frowned.

Klaus released a shaky sigh. Caroline knew his feelings for her, but to admit it out loud was still difficult for him. It made everything so real and his reality was too good to be true. There had to be a catch somewhere. A day when Caroline would cut him open and leave him bleeding.

He took her hand into his and kissed her finger tips trying to get rid of his nervousness and postpone the moment of vulnerability.

Caroline tried to look into his eyes and her gentle look somehow soothed his nerves. There was something reassuring while she patiently waited for his next words.

Klaus swallowed the lump in his throat.

"I don't want to think about what would be, had Katerina not killed you."

His voice was a mere whisper.

Caroline put her hand against his cheek and caressed him, feeling his stubble grazing her palm.

She kissed him onto the lips and pressed the length of her body against his. Klaus felt every muscle of her stomach against his and her breasts rubbing deliciously against him.

Something inside him slipped south and he deepened their kiss.

The air around them became hot and heavy with arousal while their breathing became more an more laboured.

"So, you really neutralized the witches?" Caroline asked for the millionth time between two heavy kissed.

A lovely smile crossed his lips but he did not stop pressing his lips and tongue against Caroline's. His heart swelled with this warm feeling he always got when she looked at him with these concerned eyes and made sure that he would be fine. It was a miracle that she cared about him!

He brushed through her velvety hair and nodded. "I assure you. They are no threat anymore."

"Good."

* * *

The car drove towards the other side of the town.

" _What daughter?"_

The words rang in Klaus' mind like a broken record.

" _What daughter?"_

What did that mean?

" _What daughter?"_

He bit his lip pondering.

The car approached a mansion then. It stopped in front of a grand front door that was nicely carved. There were four columns lining the front porch and supporting the grand balcony above.

He scoffed under his breath.

Of course he had built Elena a palace.

The interior was just as pristine looking as the outside.

No need to mention the expensiveness of the place.

Hybrids were standing guard everywhere.

A bird in a gilded cage.

That's what she was as the doppelgänger who he needed to make hybrids.

Klaus looked around and stopped dead when he saw Stefan in front of a door.

A smile slipped across his face. "Stefan."

But Stefan didn't return his smile and he had to remind himself that this was probably not the friend who was in love with his sister. The vampire looked like he wanted to rip his heart out. He didn't say anything though.

Klaus frowned and took an educated guess. "Is Elena in there?"

Stefan shot him a killing glance. "Spare me this crap! You know exactly that she is in there, since you ordered me to be her bodyguard!" His tone was liquid poison.

"Aw, come on. Didn't I make her life as comfortable as I can?" He asked with a mock tone and gestured around at the fine walls.

Stefan scoffed. "She is a living blood bag! Even worse! You ruined her life Klaus! And mine! You killed my brother, compelled me, took my girl and now you want me to admit that it isn't so bad for her!?"

Stefan screamed but didn't approach him. He was probably not allowed to step too close to him.

Klaus squeezed his eyes into thin lines.

So he killed Damon. Served him right!

But the thought that he would never be able again to let his steam off on him surprisingly did disturb him just a little bit. Not speaking about the shattering feeling about losing a brother.

And Stefan had always been his only true friend.

He couldn't help but feel a pinch in his heart.

"Step aside." He icily told him never the less, trying to play his role authentic and Stefan did as if he was pleased to do everything he said.

Klaus opened the door and closed it again behind him.

Elena was sitting on a couch reading a book.

"Hello Elena." He answered smoothly.

Elena looked bitterly at him, but didn't say anything..

Klaus smirked and sat down in the chair opposite from her. He put his fingertips together in all villain manner and touched them to his lips.

Elena stared back at him like a petulant child.

"I. Am. Not. Going. To. Do. It!" She said emphasizing every word. She grew more and more furious with his silent treatment. On the inside he was laughing at how well silence always worked with the ordinary people.

There was almost no quicker way to extract information. "You cannot make me date whoever you choose just because you don't want my lineage to die out! I will not bear you any children, do you understand me? I would rather die!"

He pursed his lips.

He had actually reckoned that something like this was going on. He knew his past self well after all.

He put his hands down and folded them in his lap.

He smiled slightly. "Well, perhaps you would rather like to meet your friends?" He suggested in a pleasant tone.

Elena quirked an eyebrow at him.

Klaus rubbed his chin. "Bonnie…?" He offered but Elena flew off the couch in an instant.

"Don't talk to me about Bonnie!" There were tears in her eyes and her hands clenched into fists. "Don't you dare talk to me about Bonnie!" She muttered through gritted teeth.

Klaus hadn't moved. "All right." He said and Elena seemed to calm down. "Caroline, perhaps?"

Klaus went on and waited impatiently for her answer.

Elena frowned. She folded her arms in front of her chest and asked:

"Who?"

* * *

Klaus was staring into the flames.

He was sitting in an armchair in his mansion sipping scotch while he stared into the flames. The night was dark and quiet. It was so silent that Klaus could hear his thoughts clearer and louder than ever before and it was more than irritating. Almost unbearable!

The fire crackled and was the only source of light drawing eerie shadows on the hybrid's face.

" _I don't want to know anything about the ladies you occupy your time with."_

" _What daughter?"_

" _Who?"_

It was a constant pattern in his mind of screams and questions.

His features were contorted into an ugly and angry mask.

After he had left Elena he demanded to be driven to the town hall where he had walked straight down into the cellar where the town records were kept.

The people there had been compelled and were quivering with fear.

He had searched boxes and file after file.

He had found every record of the Forbes family there was. From the middles Ages until today.

But there was no record of her.

None what so ever.

There was Elizabeth Forbes.

But Caroline Forbes had never been born.

Had never existed.

He gulped the glass down and threw it into the flames where it scattered into a thousand pieces.

His past dreams had come true.

He was ruling a kingdom where people feared him and were loyal because of compulsion and sire bonds.

He had a pack, a family of hybrids who would never dare to betray him.

Who would never leave him.

Who would die for him.

There was no weakness.

None, what so ever.

His vision blurred suddenly and drowned in a salty ocean.

He had never felt more alone in his life than now.


	3. Chapter 3

Klaus woke up on the floor. His bones cracked when he moved and a groan escaped his mouth. He squeezed his eyes shut and held his head when he sat up. There was a low buzzing in his mind and a sour taste in his mouth. He drew a deep breath and waited for the buzzing to ebb away.

His tongue glided over his teeth and his mouth tasted like he drowned a bottle of vinegar.

He sighed when he remembered the night of heavy drinking that lay behind him.

The night where he had tried to drown his sorry in a yellow pool of scotch. When he inspected the room that looked like a war had raged within it last night he grimaced bitterly. His foot kicked debris of wood aside.  
The whole room would need to be reconstructed and for a moment he was angry at himself for letting his control slip so much, but one part of him didn't care.

This wasn't his home, but some place he had to escape from again.

And between his heavy drinking and all those destructive tantrums he had realized that he needed help. He had no idea where he was or how he came to be here, not to mention how to escape and get back to his own reality.

There was only one thing he needed.

A witch.

But how to find a trustworthy witch in all this mess?

Ironically enough Bonnie Bennett would have been his first choice, but since he didn't know what happened to her and she wasn't bound to him by any loyalty, she was not an option.

Elena hadn't wanted to speak about her. She seemed to be quite upset.

Maybe he killed her?

Klaus shook his head while he dragged his feet into the kitchen. He would figure that out later.

He opened the fridge and grabbed a blood bag.

He needed a powerful witch who he could trust. Or at least one who wouldn't betray him.

The latch of the blood bag ripped off with a pop.

When the blood hit his tongue he felt better immediately.

His taste buds opened up and took the coppery taste in bringing it to all cells in his body. He kept a sip in his mouth and tasted it thoroughly.

His mind was clear and he felt revived with the fresh blood in his veins.

He sighed.

The door opened and he remembered that hybrid from yesterday.

He stepped into the kitchen but stopped at the threshold when he saw Klaus standing next to the fridge in a more than dishevelled state.

"Good morning, sire."

Klaus looked grimly at him. "More blood bags?"

"Yes, sire. Of course." Eyeing Klaus carefully he stepped slowly closer and stretched the bag out in front of him. The boy was scared.

Good.

It meant that he wouldn't question him.

He put the bag onto the table.

Klaus nodded. "You may go now."

The hybrid made a step backwards and nodded. "Yes, sire."

Klaus scrunched up his nose when the boy was gone and finished the blood bag in his hand.

A witch.

He needed a witch.

Suddenly his eyes widened.

Yes, there was a possibility.

But he would need help for this.

He pulled out his phone and waited for the signal.

"Klaus, what can I do for you?"

"Tyler, mate. I have urgent things to do today, which means that you are in charge. Now, I don't want to be disturbed today."

"What is so urgent that needs a whole day?"

Klaus smirked. "Let's call it family business."

"Oh, you wouldn't want to…"

"I believe that is none of your business, is it?" Klaus interrupted Tyler who backed off.

"Of course not."

Klaus grinned. Good boy. "Now, Tyler, do not disappoint me."

"Of course not."

Klaus ended the call and threw the empty blood bag into the trash on his way out of the kitchen. A shower was in order first, before he called in a family reunion.

* * *

His hair was still wet and the air around his head felt colder than it actually was.

He stared at the gray pointy dagger in his hand and pressed it lightly against the tip of his finger. It stung only a little bit. He had to admit that he felt a bit anxious.

He didn't know why he had daggered them, but he hoped that he could persuade them to help him.

He took another deep breath and threw a look at the open coffin.

He needed to talk to Kol. He had always been the witch sympathiser of the family and he hoped that he would be just that in this reality as well.

He looked into the coffin and noticed the small movement of the fingertip. He smiled.

It wouldn't be long now.

He waited for another five minutes when he heard a hiss and before he knew what was happening, he was pushed roughly against a wall.

A growl hit his face but he smiled.

"Hello sister."

Rebekah used all her force to push him harder against the wall. She growled and kicked him between the legs. Klaus face fell. The blow hit him totally unexpected and he sagged to the floor.

"I trusted you, you bastard!" Rebekah yelled with bloodshot eyes and pointed fangs.

She kicked him into the stomach and picked up the dagger that fell out of his hand.

"I hate you, Niklaus!" Klaus screamed when the dagger pierced his chest. "How could you do that!?"

She kicked him again, but Klaus tensed all of his muscles and forced himself to grab her foot.

Rebekah lost her stance and hit the floor.

This time was enough for Klaus to pull the dagger out of his chest with a painful groan.

Rebekah sprang to her feet again, but so did Klaus.

He held one hand in front of him and the dagger firmly in the other one.

"Bekah…" He said trying to sound calm.

"No, more lies! I am done with you! That was the last straw! I hope you rot in hell Nik!"

"Bekah, listen!" Klaus yelled.

"No!" Rebekah screamed. "I will kill you myself if I have to!"

Klaus was taken aback by the sentence which was why she had the chance to push him against the wall again. The air left his lungs with an 'ouf'.

Her fangs buried themselves in his shoulder and pain surged through his muscles.

He grabbed her and threw her off him.

His eyes followed hers and he quickly jumped in front of the door raising his hands to both of his sides. The dagger was lying somewhere on the floor.

"Rebekah, listen to me! Please!"

Rebekah stopped and frowned at him.

"Bekah, please!" He repeated and was a bit surprised how easily those words left his lips, but then again the two of them had become close again during those last years.

She pursed her lips slightly, but stopped.

"Rebekah, love, please hear me out." His voice was calm and Rebekah couldn't remember the last time that his voice hadn't dripped with venom.

She crossed her arms in front of her chest. "Now, why would I do that?" She squeezed her eyes together and waited for him to stab her in the back. But something was off about him, she noticed.

Of course she noticed it. She had been with him for a thousand years. She knew her brother in and out. And there was something in his eyes that she couldn't put anywhere.

What was that?

"Because…" Klaus swallowed. Rebekah was the one who would see through him first. That's why he needed to talk to her first, before he could even think about freeing Kol.

"…because I need your help!"

* * *

Rebekah kept staring at him and raised an eyebrow before she started to laugh out loud. "My help?" She kept laughing and her chest shook. "Why would I even consider helping you with anything?"

That was the moment where he looked her straight into the eyes.

"Because I do not belong here."

Rebekah tilted her head in confusion. She heard his words, but she didn't understand what he was saying.

"What? What are you talking about, Nik?"

"Can we talk about this upstairs? Please?" He added when he noticed her look.

But Rebekah took a step back. "What trick is this Nik? What are you up to?"

He raised his hands, palms open. "I promise you that I will neither dagger nor harm you again. I just want to talk to you and then you can decide if you want to help me or not."

Her shoulders slumped forward a little. "Are you giving me a choice?"

"The decision is yours." He said taking a page out of the Caroline Forbes handbook about how to gain true loyalty.

Truth.

That was all that counted.

He stepped aside and cleared the way towards the door.

"There are fresh blood bags upstairs."

Rebekah licked her lip. Her throat was suddenly dry and her tongue felt like sandpaper in her mouth.

She looked in his eyes again where this strange glint was still sleeping under the surface. The glint that she had never seen there before and it made her curious.

She raised her finger pointing at his chest. "Do not screw me over!"

"I promise you that I will not betray you, Bekah. No matter what I have done in the past." Which was not my past, he added bitterly.

Rebekah watched him carefully while she walked past him.

* * *

She finished her second blood bag and enjoyed the feeling of her reawakened senses.

Klaus watched her from across the table.

Rebekah swallowed the last drop and tossed the trash onto the table. She licked her lips and leaned back still enjoying the taste on her tongue.

Klaus was still watching her patiently and Rebekah started to feel a bit queasy. It made her nervous, because right now she felt like this was not her brother. But she didn't let him see her nervousness. Knowing him this was probably one of his games and he just waited for her to make a mistake.

"So, talk." She said as grimly as she could.

Klaus sighed. "I know that you noticed that I am different."

Rebekah stiffened. "I saw it in your stance and even now you are nervous about it. I know that you know that I am not the man who daggered you."

Rebekah sat up straighter. "Nik, what is this? What are you talking about?"

"The truth is, Rebekah, that I am not the man who daggered you."

She opened her mouth but didn't know what to say.

"I didn't dagger you, because this is not my time."

"What!?" She exclaimed. "From all of the things that you have done…"

"Bekah, let me finish! Yesterday I woke up in this house and I have no idea how I got here. I know that I cannot possibly proof myself, but I hope that you still believe me."

"But…then…what the hell are you telling me? That you are not my brother?"

"Yes. Yes, I am your brother, Rebekah. But the life I led so far was different from the one to which I woke up to and I don't know what happened."

Rebekah tried to understand, but this was too weird. What was he up to?

"Nik, what kind of game are you playing?"

"Rebekah, I promise you that this is no game! This." He gestured around. "Is like an alternate reality to the one that I used to live in and I just know that I want to go back and that I need your help, sister."

"Alternate reality? So, what? I am not real?"

"I…" He pinched the bridge of his nose. "I don't know. I just know that we used to live another life."

"We?"

"Yes. We. Our family."

She looked at him.

"I need to find a witch to figure out what happened."

She was smart enough to figure the rest out by herself then. "You need me to soothe Kol when you wake him up."

"Yes. And I need you to believe me!" He almost pleaded and Rebekah was speechless. Whatever he was telling her, however false it sounded, she knew for sure that this was not her brother.

She looked at him for another moment.

"I want to shower and put on fresh clothes." She demanded and Klaus just nodded.

"I believe all of your things are upstairs untouched."

Her face still held this mistrustful glance when she left the room, but Klaus knew that she knew that he wasn't like his old self. The one who used to live here.

This was far more complicated than he had thought.

* * *

It was almost five hours later when he heard footsteps on the floor in front of his studio.

He had waited as patiently as he could. A few brushes hadn't survived his patience but he could live with that outcome. Painting had calmed him down and distracted him a bit.

Once in a while he had thought that she had escaped the house and run off, but he had refused to go spying on her. If she found him spying then he would have lost her.

He knew Rebekah.

The door burst open without any warning, but then there on the threshold she suddenly hesitated because she didn't know what to do. Rebekah hadn't seen her brother painting for years and Klaus suspected as much, because there weren't any recent works of his around. They were all dated from two years ago.

Why hadn't he painted in two years time?

"You are painting." She stated a bit flabbergasted.

Klaus put the brush aside and dried his hands on a towel. "Yes." He answered.

His sister stepped closer hesitantly.

Klaus himself stepped back from his easel and looked at his work. He sighed because no painting could do reality any justice no matter how hard or how often he tried.

He would never be able to capture her soul on canvas.

Rebekah walked towards him and stepped around the easel to look at the canvas.

She seemed to freeze when she looked at the artwork. Her eyes looked up to him and back to the painting in confusion.

He mouth opened and Klaus had to bite his lip in order not to burst out laughing. It was a long time ago since he had seen his sister so speechless.

A sigh escaped her lips while she still tried to process what she was actually looking at. "Huh? Wha…Nik, what is that?" Her voice was quiet and Klaus turned towards the window so she wouldn't see the sad smile on his face.

"The reason why I need to find my way back." He answered honestly.

"But…but…that is…a girl!?" She exclaimed and Klaus couldn't hold the chuckle inside anymore.

"What? Did you expect me to fancy men rather than women?"

Rebekah's eyes widened. "No! Of course not, but…" She waved helplessly at the canvas. "…but…" She stared at the bright painting that showed a young blonde woman whose smile seemed to light up the whole room. Her beauty was radiating off the painting and her eyes were glowing and making her shudder. Those eyes. That look.

She frowned and looked to her brother. His blue eyes fixed her and suddenly she gasped putting a hand in front of her mouth.

"Nik…" Her throat was dry and she forgot to breathe. "You love her."

 _That_ was the strange look in his eyes. The one that she couldn't recognise, because she may have seen it in Elijah's eyes, but never in his.

And she swore that her heart missed a beat when he said those next words that rang in her ears until late at night.

"I do."

That was all he said _. I do._

The admission lay heavy on her chest and Rebekah didn't know what to say.

Klaus smirked. "Drink?" He asked and Rebekah only nodded.

* * *

He had tried to tidy up his study as much as he could, but there was no use. It still looked like a bomb had exploded, but thank god the house had enough sitting rooms.

Rebekah watched her brother while she sipped her drink. But was this really her brother?

"Who is she?" She asked quietly.

There was an edge too Klaus' voice when he started to answer her questions.

"Her name is Caroline Forbes."

"Forbes? As in Liz Forbes?"

"Yes. The Sheriff is her mother."

Rebekah frowned. "The Sheriff has no daughter."

She saw how a dark cloud settled on his face. "I know. I figured out as much. But, where I come from, she has a daughter, beautiful, strong and full of light."

"But…" She was speechless. "I don't know what to say. Nik, this is not you!"

He sighed and looked up at her. "Yes, Bekah, this is me. I know this is hard to grasp, I know who you think I am and I was that person. I chased Katherine Pierce for five hundred years. I daggered Finn and Kol. I ran with you from Mikael.  
I compelled Stefan Salvatore to forget you. I invented the sun and the moon curse in order to find myself a new doppelgänger. I killed our mother."

He looked into her eyes and Rebekah was still speechless at the emotion she saw. "I did all that, but when I found Elena a lot of things should have went another way than they did…"

She frowned at him and so Klaus started to tell her everything that happened since he came back to Mystic Falls.

He finished nearly one and a half hours later and Rebekah didn't know when her brother had told her that much.

She was silent for a while, while she contemplated all those words.

"So…" She finally said. "What you are telling me, is that this Caroline is the salvation that Elijah has been looking for for centuries now?"

Klaus chuckled amused. Elijah. He never gave up on him.

"It seems like it." He looked at the floor and tried not to let the sadness cloud his mind. Instead he looked at Rebekah again.

"And without her you daggered your siblings, built a hybrid army and seized not one but two kingdoms that you rule as a despot like you always dreamed of? And with her…with her you gave up all those dreams? Just because of her?"

He looked at her. "Sounds ridiculous, doesn't it?"

Rebekah calculated his expression. "Yes!"

Klaus sighed and leaned forward. "Bekah. I told you everything that I know. Now, my question: Do you believe me?"

She looked into his eyes. With apprehension he waited for her answer.

Rebekah took her time though.

"I…maybe…"

"Will you help me get back?"

She stared at him. "You said we were all living together."

"Yes, we are. Not all the time, but we always return to our plantation in New Orleans. It is the closest to home that we ever had."

"Elijah, Kol, you and me."

He nodded. She had easily put Finn's death off since she had never been close to him because of the huge age gap. While there is still also a big gap between her and Elijah, Klaus and Elijah had taken care of her when Finn had been hunting with Mikael which had been all the time.

A small smile was seen on her lips and Klaus mirrored that smile. To her this sounded like a dream. Too good to be true. It was the life she had always wanted to lead. And maybe that was the reason why she gave in so easily, though, she knew she needed to be on her guard. Niklaus knew her desires too well!

He raised his eyebrows at her questioningly.

"Yes, okay. I will help you, but only tomorrow. I want to have a good night of sleep and consider everything you just told me."

He nodded and accepted her decision which surprised her once more. She thought she knew all of his schemes and she actually started to believe that this really was no scheme.

She stood up. "Goodnight, Nik."

"Sleep well, Rebekah."

She cocked her eyebrows knowing that she would never ever close one single eye for more than one second that night!

* * *

The two Mikaelson siblings stared at their dead brother.

Klaus reached for the dagger but Rebekah covered his hand. "Nik…"

He looked at her. "Before you do that, you need to know something…" She sounded guilty and Klaus frowned at her. He guessed that he was about to discover the true story why he daggered them.

Rebekah swallowed and looked into his eyes where she was searching for the glow she had seen yesterday. When she found it she collected new bravery and admitted silently. "Kol and I…we tried to kill you."

Klaus swallowed and his features hardened. The old feelings of betrayal and hurt bubbled up inside of him again. Everyone had always only betrayed him. Even his siblings.

He took a shaky breath and for a moment Rebekah thought that she had found out why he had played this game. Because he just wanted her to admit her betrayal. He would dagger her again after he had made her suffer for her betrayal.


	4. Chapter 4

_Sorry for the long wait!_

 _I hope you will enjoy this!=) (Comments are welcome!;)_

 _There will be the two characters from my other story I mentioned in this chapter!;)_

* * *

But Klaus just swiftly turned around and pulled the dagger out of his brother's chest.

"All the more reason for me to return to my reality as soon as possible."

Rebekah didn't move.

Maybe he was telling her the truth.

The dagger fell to the floor with a loud thud. Louder than Rebekah would have expected. She looked at Klaus, but he avoided looking at her. She saw that he was hurt and she suddenly felt guilty even though she had no reason to do so. Her brother had been an ass to her. He had been out of control and he had to be stopped. She and Kol had made a plan, but failed.

She looked at her shoes.

If he was really telling the truth then she was somewhere leading the life that she was currently dreaming of. Well, a version of her was living that life or something like that. She was still pondering if the idea was too complex for Nik to make up, but who knew.

"How, did you plan to kill me?"

Here we go, maybe that was his ulterior motive.

Rebekah shrugged. "You stopped us, doesn't that suffice?"

He squinted at her. "Rebekah…" He walked closer to her. "Don't try to screw me over!" His tone implied a severe warning, but Rebekah grinned.

"Finally, there is the brother I know and loathe."

"Yeah, well I am still the person who daggered you in the 20s. Do not underestimate me, sister." He hissed and was only inches away from her face that simply shut down. She felt the danger emanating from him, but there was also an air of playfulness which again she didn't recognise.

Who was he?

Suddenly he was gone and a loud thud told her that he had hit the floor pretty hard.

Kol was standing on top of him and growled.

He looked lethal and crushed his big brother's air pipes. There was a large pool of blood leaking onto the floor from the backside of Klaus' head.

"Well, wasn't that a dumb idea, Nik? Seems like we get a second chance, Bekah!"

Klaus tried to pull Kol off his feet while his eyes looked at his sister. For a second he was actually afraid that she would betray him and side with Kol again against him.

It had been a risk from the beginning on, but it was the only way to solve the situation. He needed Rebekah on his side to persuade Kol, but what if this had always been her plan from the beginning on?

Had he underestimated her? He who had taught her not to underestimate anyone?

Had he ironically went against his better judgement?

After all this was not the Rebekah he had left.

Their eyes met and he saw a rawness that had never been there before. He sucked in a breath and struggled against Kol's foot on his arm and his hand around his throat. The throbbing on the back of Klaus' head ebbed away slowly.

Kol threw killing looks at him. Klaus had never seen so much loathing in him and he started to question his plan.

"Kol!" Rebekah's voice echoed through the cellar.

* * *

Kol stopped fighting Klaus but kept him on the ground.

Both original vampire looked expectantly at their sister.

Klaus held his breath when Rebekah opened her mouth to speak:

"Stop! Let him go."

Klaus' muscles immediately slackened in relief.

"What? Bekah, are you mad? This is the best shot we have!" Kol argued with his hand still around Klaus' throat.

She shook her head. "No, Kol, it isn't, because he is not the one who daggered us."

Kol was looking at her as if she had just told him that vampires were able to turn themselves into bats now.

"Rebekah, what did he promise you? Don't believe his lies! How often did he lie to you?"

Rebekah shook her head again. "It's different this time, Kol. Let him go. He has to tell you something."

Kol glared at Klaus who was laying beneath him in a relaxing pose which was odd for him. Too odd!

Klaus never backed down from a fight. And what was that strange look on his face about?

"A story, I believe I myself would like to hear as well." A voice said accompanied by footsteps that were coming downstairs.

Rebekah grinned and rushed forward. "Elijah!" She flew into his arms and Elijah hugged her back.

"Hello sister."

Kol watched the exchange but was still holding Klaus down. He didn't know what to do.

He had waited years for this opportunity! And now he should let him escape!? Just like that!?

Never!

Elijah looked at Kol. "It is good to see you, brother."

Kol nodded curtly.

Elijah looked at Klaus with a suspicious look in his eyes and Klaus almost grinned. He knew that look too well.

The oldest sibling let go of Rebekah and knelt down to be closer to Klaus. "From what I have heard from Rebekah last night I am eager to hear your story in your own words."

Klaus nodded. "I will tell you everything I know."

Elijah nodded. "Kol, let him go."

"What!? You are all mad!"

"Kol!" Elijah said in a commanding fatherly tone. "I promise you that I will try to help you kill our brother when he tries to cheat us once again."

Kol raised his eyebrows. "We both know that you would never kill your favourite brother!"

Elijah came face to face with him and held out his hand. "Have I ever broken a promise?"

They stared at each other for a moment before Kol took the hand. "Fine."

"Well, fair enough, I'd say." Klaus said and smiled at his brothers who stared suspiciously back at him.

Kol stood up but not without giving Klaus another violent kick right into his stomach.

* * *

The four of them sat down in the kitchen upstairs and Klaus prepared to tell them what he had told Rebekah the day before. He was glad that she had called Elijah. He had suspected as much to be honest. Elijah, the voice of reason who always brought a dangerous situation under control. The brother who had never lost faith in finding his salvation.

The thought somehow made him smile.

"Well, where do I start?" He asked rhetorically before he told them that he was not from this reality.

"How do you know that this is not your 'reality', how you call it? What makes you wanting to go back? Don't you have everything you ever wanted?" Elijah wondered and it didn't surprise Klaus that he was asking the vital question.

He hesitated to answer, because it was easy to tell Rebekah, a girl, but to admit his feelings to his brothers was still a difficult matter. They had witnessed his change originally, they had witnessed his relationship blossom and he never had to say it out loud to them, so now, this was a difficult matter.

In his hesitation Rebekah suddenly smirked. "Nik has a girl."

Kol frowned and shrugged and Rebekah rolled her eyes at him.

"He is in love Kol!" She snapped.

Kol raised his eyebrows first before he started to laugh. "Yeah of course darling! Nik in love?"

He looked at Klaus who remained silent with a serious expression on his face.

Kol stopped laughing.

"Nik!?"

Elijah was watching every bat of an eyelid that Klaus did. He looked at his brother and the seconds became minutes and dragged on until eternity.

"Two days ago, you asked me where Caroline was."

Klaus nodded. "I did."

"You sounded…disrupted."

"I was. I had woken up to an empty house I wasn't familiar with anymore."

Elijah acknowledged his words.

If Niklaus was lying then he had put a lot of effort into his lies. A lot more effort than would be needed. He had risked his life by bringing them all together here, only to play games?

Elijah was almost certain that he was telling the truth, but he kept his distance.

Kol shook his head. "Nik, doesn't even know how to spell love!"

"One more reason to believe me, I think." Klaus countered. Slowly but surely Kol was starting to get on his nerves. He had always been the one to get to him the fastest.

"Or only one more reason to not believe you!" He bellowed back.

Rebekah got something out of her trousers. She cleared her throat. "I snatched this out of his room earlier."

Klaus watched how she handed Elijah a piece of paper.

"Rebekah!"

She smirked at him. "Don't be such an egoist, Nik!"

Klaus rolled his eyes while Elijah studied the drawing that he had made of Caroline last night. There was a frown on his face which probably meant that he was trying to figure out if he ever saw her before.

Kol snatched the paper out of his hands.

His licked his lips. "Looks like a tasty little thing."

In a blur Klaus had wooshed out of his chair and threw Kol against the wall. "Don't make me want to dagger you again!"

"Niklaus!" Elijah said.

Klaus growled at Kol who was glaring at him with a mix of confusion on his face.

Was this really his brother? He usually never got defensive about anyone but himself.

Klaus sat down again.

"Niklaus, what is your plan?"

Klaus looked at Kol. "I need a witch and I hope that Kol is still…or yet again or whatever in contact with them."

Kol frowned. "Who?"

"The SinLuna twins."

Kol let out a laugh but froze. "Are you serious? How do you know them? You have never met them before!"

Klaus sighed. "I told you that this is not the past that I lived. I have met them and I know that they are ironically enough the only ones I would want to pull into this."

"You know they are very powerful black witches!?"

"Yes, and they look exactly alike. Kol, I am not stupid, I know what I am doing, but I need your help!"

Kol suddenly smirked feeling powerful. Klaus had waited for this moment to come.

"So, you need my help? What is in it for me?"

"Your dagger and a better future." Klaus quipped.

* * *

The siblings had retreated to talk in private about Klaus' fate while he paced the hall. This was ridiculous! Why the hell had he brought his family into this?

Family always proofed to be more trouble than it was worth it.

He was sure that they wouldn't have to wait too long for the witches to arrive once Kol called them.

Elijah was still watching Klaus and he felt claustrophobic. He wanted to get out of here.

He wanted his familiarity back.

He scoffed at himself. Apparently living for more than 20 years under one roof with people you had learned to trust and respect made you want to return to them as quickly as possible. He would have never thought that he would ever crave such a thing. Familiarity, family, love, all those warm and cosy feelings that were ridiculous and made people do strange and stupid things. But here he was.

"You seem to be nervous." Elijah stated and Klaus huffed.

"You could stop staring for a minute, Elijah. I won't drop my attitude so stop looking for a sign of it!"

Elijah raised his eyebrows.

"Excuse me, brother, but the situation is most unusual."

"You can't understand why I would want to go back." Klaus stated.

And Elijah nodded. "When you seized the city, when you brought everything under your control and were on top of everything, you seemed to be very…contented."

"Because happy is what happens, when your dreams come true, isn't it, Elijah? Well," Klaus put his fingertips together. "Suffice to say that a lot of things changed over the last 20 plus years."

Elijah widened his eyes in surprise. "20 years?"

"You don't want to tell us that we live under the same roof for more than 20 years, do you?" Kol asked incredulous. He wanted to simply kill his brother right now, after only what? A few hours?

"More or less." Klaus answered and Kol laughed.

"Yeah, sure."

Rebekah crossed her arms and bit her lip.

She was conflicted, because she wanted desperately to believe her brother. It sounded heavenly to her, but she couldn't believe him. He was Nik the hybrid. Murderous, resentful, short tempered…but then again he hadn't always been like that…not from the beginning on. Could he have really found that person again?

Or, well, could that girl…Caroline, really have managed to find that person again?

Rebekah chewed on her bottom lip. "What is she like?" She suddenly blurted out and everyone looked at her surprised. "Caroline, I mean."

A small smile settled on Klaus' lips while his eyes looked sad and Rebekah was mesmerized by that look on his face. He closed his eyes briefly.

"Well, she is beautiful, strong and full of light." He repeated what he had told her a very long time ago. "She is also a control freak, a perfectionist, stubborn and quite a handful to be honest." He chuckled. "She is a good person. Very human."

Kol laughed. "And there we go. Okay, Nik you can stop now, you just blew your cover. Now you can tell us why we are really here and what you want from the witches. Some master plan to strike against Marcel? Mh?"

Klaus glared at him, but Kol kept on laughing and taunting him.

"Seriously, are you listening to yourself, brother? There is no way such a girl would ever fall for you unless you compelled her which I believe even you are too honourable to do. So, why do you think we would ever believe you?"

"Believe what you want!" Klaus snorted and was about to leave the room when Elijah chimed in.

"He does have a point, Niklaus. It just doesn't seem to fit."

Klaus turned around. "You know what? I don't care what you think! It is the truth, but if you don't believe me, fine! I do not have to justify myself in front of you!"

He turned around, but the air suddenly changed around them and he froze.

"They are here." He mumbled and the light began to flicker at the same time that a heavy whirlwind broke loose in the study.

"What's happening?" Rebekah asked with a slight edge in her voice.

"The weather is odd today, isn't it?"

Rebekah squeaked and flashed away to the other side of the room.

"Didn't mean to scare you, little rabbit!" The woman sitting on the arm of the chair she had been sitting on earlier said eagerly.

The wind died down and the witch tried to fix her hair that wasn't able to be fixed, because it was as much out of place as Bellatrix Lestrange's hairstyle.

She grinned. "Uh, that was nice, don't you think!?"

Klaus crossed his arms in front of his chest and straightened his back.

"Rona SinLuna." He stated and his family frowned at him including Rona who tilted her head.

"Have we met, pretty birdy? Mona, have we met this one before? I am sure I should remember, if we had."

"Mh…I don't recall him!" Mona answered in her typical bored tone.

She had simply appeared next to Klaus within a blink of an eye, but he had expected as much, so he simply turned his head towards her.

"Hello Mona."

Mona frowned. She turned to him and squeezed her eyes shut and suddenly Klaus found himself pressed against the wall.

Kol chuckled and grinned. "Now, this gets interesting."

Rona jumped towards him. "I have missed you toad!"

"Yeah, I have been kind of incapacitated." He said and threw a dirty look at Klaus who was still pressed up against the wall while Mona was staring at him as if she was staring at a portrait in a gallery.

"Awww, rats!" Rona sang and ran a finger along Kol's jaw. "So, is there a reason you called us? I don't believe that you did it without purpose." She walked over to Elijah and totally checked him out from head to toe. She ran her hand from one shoulder over his back to the other shoulder while she rounded him. "Wouldn't be nice of you to do it, toady." She was still smiling but everyone heard the implied threat.

Mona suddenly turned around and shook her head. "Nope, I have never seen this one before." She simply said as if they were still talking about it.

Rona pouted and stomped her foot. "Rats, I was so sure I had seen him before." She walked over to the wall where Klaus was pinned to, to study him herself.

Mona meanwhile strode over to where Kol and Elijah were standing, but close in front of them she turned and walked over to Rebekah who screwed up her face looking at the witch coming closer.

Mona sighed. "The rabbit is scared, Rona." She didn't sound sad or surprised, she sounded indifferent and Rebekah had to pull herself together in order not to take a step back while Mona came closer and closer.

Kol cleared his throat. "Actually, as to why you are here…"

"I need your help." Klaus interrupted while Rona had come face to face with him. She looked him directly into his eyes and frowned. She scrunched up her nose.

"Mh." She made and turned around again.

Mona snipped her fingers and Klaus fell onto the floor.

Rona jumped onto a table while her sister regarded her nails turning to Klaus. "Why?" She asked sounding bored.

Rebekah let out a relieved breath and secretly walked over to Elijah, because she had to admit, these witches were creepy. Insane and creepy.

Klaus stood up and dusted his trousers off before he straightened. "You see, a few days ago, I woke up, but wasn't in my own home anymore. This is my home but not as I remember it. There have been made changes, big changes. People I knew don't exist anymore, people I have been friends with are my enemies and I have an army I didn't raise."

Rona gasped. "Like in a parallel universe! Fascinating!" She supported her chin with her fist and her eyes gleamed with excitement as if she was watching a thrilling movie.

"Interesting." Her sister said still watching her nails and looking far from being interested.

Klaus smirked. He was glad that the witches were still the same persons he remembered them to be. They could have been totally different, but they weren't. So far they were the only ones familiar to him.

"Yes, now, what I want is to go back to my universe, if you want to put it like that."

Mona raised her eyebrows. "The birdy wants our help, Rona."

Rona leaned back onto her hands. "Mh, he is a pretty birdy, and it does sound like he fell down the rabbit hole, doesn't it? I love it when these things happen!" She gushed excitedly but Rebekah just wrinkled her nose at her.

What the hell was she talking about? She didn't get it.

Totally gaga!

"And I might add that we have met before, that's how I know of you." Klaus added and looked from one witch to the other.

"Really?" Mona asked. "Are you sure about that?"

Klaus laughed and nodded. "Oh I am sure. We have definitely met!" He threw an intense look at Rona who suddenly straightened tilting her head.

She mumbled something under her breath and jumped off the table walking towards the hybrid.

"I think…" She came very close and stepped right into Klaus' personal space. "I think I would like to test that if you don't mind."

Before Klaus could say anything Rona had already put both of her hands at both sides of his neck and pulled him towards her. She pressed her lips to his and Klaus felt the same feeling rushing through him that he had felt when she had kissed him for the first time.

Caroline had been kept hostage and Rona had helped him free her, but a kiss had been her request for her help. Not that she had asked for it, she had taken what she had wanted and freed Caroline who she had also kissed before she could complain.

Klaus' body froze and he wasn't able to move anymore while Rona kissed him deeply and passionately.

Suddenly there were pictures filling his mind. Colourful, swirling, mind numbing pictures that made him dizzy. But they weren't just pictures. They were his memories.

* * *

" _Or you could ask me for help?"_

" _Oh, and I am sure that you will want something for that in return, won't you love?" He spit._

" _Not that much actually." She smiled and before Klaus could say something else she put her hand around his neck and pulled him close._

 _The blonde vampire, Caroline, didn't believe her eyes and her mouth dropped open. "Excuse me!? HEY!" She yelled and pounded as strongly against the invisible wall that held her prisoner._

 _Rona crashed her lips to Klaus and held him hostage in a sensual kiss._

 _Klaus' eyes widened but he couldn't move, as if he was under her spell, quite literally though._

 _Out of the corner of his eye he saw that Caroline was hitting hard on the barrier._

 _Rona smiled into the kiss then she put her hand against the frozen doorway. She sucked his bottom lip into her mouth and suddenly took a step back so Caroline wouldn't fall on top of her._

 _The wall had mysteriously disappeared from one second to the other and Caroline tumbled right through it when she was about to hit it again._

" _What the hell!?"_

 _Klaus could suddenly move again and his arm shot immediately out to steady her._

 _A shock wave hit both of their bodies the second they touched and Caroline drew in a sharp breath and took a step back. "What the hell?" She repeated but quieter this time._

" _A mating bond? Bloody Baboon, you didn't mention that!?" Rona stepped uncomfortably close to Caroline to examine her and Klaus wondered if she was just curious or jealous._

" _Yes, we are mated and who the hell are you?" Caroline snapped bravely and took a step back. Klaus grinned proud of her._

" _A secret admirer." Rona retorted._

 _Caroline got defensive. "Look for your own mate!" She snarled wryly and Klaus felt his cheeks burn with pride and joy over her possessiveness. His girl was simply amazing and he had her back._

 _Elijah had opened his mouth to warn her about Rona's abilities but he closed it again when he saw the mischief back in her eyes and he knew that it was too late. Klaus saw it too and he was about to throw himself between the two of them, because he would never have a black witch lay a hand on Caroline, but his eyes widened with fear when he noticed that he couldn't move yet again._

 _Rona reached forward._

 _Klaus' heart pounded wildly, but Caroline didn't notice that Rona could be dangerous, she just stared defiantly back at the black witch whose hand reached out._

 _And suddenly she pressed her lips against Caroline's._

 _Everyone watched in surprise and shock._

 _Caroline couldn't breathe and when Rona pulled back Caroline was too stunt to reply anything. Her lips tingled strangely though._

 _Rona smiled and licked her lips. "This has been fun! Call me if anyone of you ever ends up alone again."_

* * *

Rona pulled back and stared wide eyed at Klaus who had to catch his breath. He was out of breath while Rona wasn't affected at all. She just stared at him as if she had just seen an alien.

"Rats!" She whispered finally.

Rebekah, Elijah and Kol looked at each other totally speechless.

Rona caressed Klaus cheek. Her hand was ice cold. "Holy mackerel, Mona did you see that!?"

Mona was staring at them instead of her nails and for the first time she looked honestly fascinated.

Klaus looked from one to the other. "Saw…you were in my head…" He muttered more to himself than to them. "You saw everything…"

Mona stepped closer.

"Okay, what is happening? Would someone tell us what is going on?" Rebekah snapped becoming very impatient.

Mona turned towards her. "I guess, the birdy is sleeping, don't you think Rona?"

"A beautiful spell!" Rona added, patting Klaus' cheek who would have loved to grab her hand violently, but he knew that that would be a fatal mistake. "Though the one who cast it, probably doesn't like you…or your mate…or your family…you toads have enough enemies." Rona grinned brightly.

"Spell? So he is indeed spelled? Everything he told us is true!?" Rebekah asked.

"She is doubting her own litter." Rona whined exaggerated. "Bunny!" she shook her head.

"What do you mean, I am sleeping?" Klaus interrupted them.

The two witches turned back to him. "It means that you fell through the rabbit hole and cannot wake up yet."

"So I am not actually here, but sleeping somewhere? Which means that this is not real!?"

"Oh, it is very real, birdy!" Rona nodded.

Klaus sighed, he didn't even want to ask, he just wanted to know one thing. "So, how do I wake up?"

"Humph." Mona said. "He is smart. Good question."

"Does that mean you don't know?" He yelled balling his hands into fists.

With one swift move he was thrown against the wall again.

"I cannot think when he's chirping so loudly." Mona said. "Why would we help you again?" She asked.

"I would help him, Mona." Rona grinned at her sister. "I like this one…and his mate!" Her eyes glowed.

Rona sighed. "You always say that!"

* * *

Caroline has never left Klaus bed for much time. Mostly she just sits there and stares at him. He looks so peaceful, as if he was really just sleeping and waking up every moment. And she wished so much that he would wake up.

She even wished he would wake up yelling at her for anything. She didn't care! If he only woke up!

Suddenly Kol entered the room. "How is our Sleeping Beauty? Has he moved?"

Caroline shook her head. "No news."

Kol walked around the bed and bent over to examine his brother. He frowned very seriously as if he knew exactly what was going on and then nodded. "Mh…Have you tried kissing him?" He asked.

Caroline's features contorted. "Very funny Kol!" She answered wryly, since this was anything but funny. However, leave it to Kol to brighten up the mood!

While Kol made his way back towards the door he held up his hands defensively. "Hey, I've just recently heard that nothing is as powerful as a true love's kiss."

"Stay away from the rom-coms!" She called.

Caroline sighed and refocused her attention to Klaus.

She frowned and started wondering.

Well, of course life was no fairy-tale, but then again vampires existed, right?

So, what if…

What if…

And she bowed her head towards Klaus. Her face moved closer and closer and she fixated his eyes and lips the whole time. Then she felt his soft lips under hers.

There was nothing sensual about the kiss. It was sweet.

Simple and sweet.

And Caroline poured all the feelings and emotions into the kiss she felt for her lover right now.

She withdrew and stared holding her breath.

"Gotcha!" Kol cried and laughed out loud.

Caroline spun around grabbed a book off the nightstand and threw it at Kol. "Get out you idiot!"

Of course Kol was faster and the book missed its aim.

Elijah suddenly stood in the door frame. "Ignore him."

"I am trying." She said.

"Are you okay?" He asked and drew closer.

Caroline nodded. "Yes."

But she hung her shoulders exhaustedly. Elijah put his hands onto her shoulders and rubbed them comfortingly. And suddenly he bent forward and kissed her forehead.

Caroline froze.

All of a sudden there was weirdness inside the room, as if a great pink elephant was grinning at them from out of a corner.

Caroline quickly cleared her throat. "Uhm, I am going to get myself some blood."

And she simply slipped out of the room without looking back.

She had shared many moments with Elijah, but this had suddenly felt awkward.

* * *

She entered the kitchen where Rebekah and Stefan were lounging about.

Without a word she got herself some blood.

She ripped a blood bag open, poured some into a mug and leaned against the counter deep in thought.

Rebekah and Stefan both watch her curiously.

"Is it weird that Elijah kissed my forehead?"

Rebekah smirked but kept her focus on a marshmallow she was picking at. "Well, there have been cases where two brothers fell for the same girl…" Acting startled, as if she had just realised what she had said she gasped. "Oh, how tactless of me, sorry!"

Stefan and Caroline just rolled their eyes annoyed, but Rebekah kept enjoying her joke.

"Well, since Nick is not your true love this is your chance to try out the other brother." Kol smirked as he entered the kitchen.

"We are mated you idiot!" Caroline replied.

"Doesn't mean you to cannot stray from one another. He might be a fix point of your life you always come back to and feel safe and loved, but there is polygamy isn't there?"

"Why is Klaus not her true love?" Stefan asked confused.

"Because Snow White did not wake from the Princess' kiss!" Koll grinned.

"Oh shut up!" Caroline said feeling a little bit mortified.


	5. Chapter 5

_Hello there,_

 _I was this short away from actually abandoning this, but your latest reviews truly motivated me to bring this to some kind of end. I've started yesterday and it was fun to write it! It may not be much, but I think it is suiting. There might be another chapter, but I am not sure about it. I have too many projects running at once (ouf! Hell knows why I am always starting too many new things!) enough of rambling._

 _Here you go! Enjoy!  
xxx_

* * *

"You don't know!?" He growled angrily and let his arm muscles play. His face contorted into angry lines as he stared at the witch in front of him. "You want to tell me that you don't know!?" He yelled in frustration and clenched his fists as if ready to pounce.

Rona held up her hand. "Careful, pretty bird. I believe you are about to forget who you are talking to." She grinned while saying this. What was obviously meant as a threat was wrapped into a nice package of smiles with a bow of sweetness on top.

Klaus looked bitter and it cost him lots of strength not to fall out and ruin everything in one second. If she killed him here, and he was sure that she would, he would be dead. He would have died without seeing his family and Caroline again and that thought nearly broke his heart.

He had never thought that he could love them so much. Well, of course he had always loved them. Carrying them around in coffins to make sure that they weren't harmed should have proven that, but the difference now was that he felt it. He really felt it this time.

And he rather wanted to see them happy than "dead" in a box.

"It's been weeks and you told me you'd find a way out of this!" His voice was full of hot anger. If he could he would paint the wall behind her red.

"Niklaus, watch your temper." Elijah warned him silently and with a voice full of ancient wisdom. Klaus closed his eyes for a short moment. It hadn't taken long for Elijah to become his voice of reason again. He had always been just that and now Klaus accepted it. Elijah was still wary about this new side of him, but he seemed to open up to his brother. He had always supported him in whatever scheme, so of course he had been the first on his side in this whole dilemma.

He had spent most of his time with Klaus. They had been trying to conceal his changes to the outside world. They had pretended together that he was the ruthless emperor who had taken over Mystic Falls and keeping Elena hostage.

However, they had mostly been sitting together in front of the fire at nights when Klaus would talk about his lost memories. On the one hand Klaus didn't want to talk about it too much because it reminded him of what he had lost, but on the other hand he wanted to talk about it, because he was scared to forget something. Elijah was a good listener. Never interrupting or judging him.

Klaus steadied himself and tried to shake the anger off that clung to him like a parasite. That always would cling to him like a parasite.

Rebekah snorted amused. "Looks like you gotta stay here after all, brother." She spit the last word out and Klaus was trying really hard, but he couldn't control the switch. He whirled around and grabbed his sister by her throat. Her head hit the wall behind her with a loud thud and pain evaporated through it. Her face showed her pain as she hissed for air.

Klaus growled looking at her with yellow eyes. Rebekah and Kol were the ones who didn't know how to take their brother. They couldn't cope with this new him, so they left him simply to himself. Though living in the same house with him they avoided him as much as possible. And Klaus knew that they would lock their doors at night, afraid that he'd dagger them in their sleeps.

It stung to see them like this, but he had never been very patient. Elijah was telling him every day that he needed to give them time and that he needed to be patient with them, because they would eventually come around. It was just that he could not erase 1000 years of his cruelty that was buried deep inside their mines within weeks. They only knew him like this and had never gotten to know that one he had become.

Rona sniggered and looked at her sister telling her that: "He is doing it again!"

Klaus looked once more angrily at Rebekah before he let her go. Within the last few days he had developed a short temper again. A very short temper that was. The longer he stayed here feeling alone and left out the more he became angry. So angry that he started to lash out again.

He turned around the face the witch just in time to see Mona shrugging her shoulders.

"What?" He asked. "What are you not telling me?"

He took a step closer looking from one witch to the other. Mona was busy with her nails again while Rona smirked knowingly.

But this time Klaus waited. He took a deep breath and tried to wait for the answer. Rona grinned feeling what he was doing. She enjoyed it to leave him hanging for a bit. She simply smirked and waited for him to explode.

Klaus was boiling. His heart was racing and sweat beads were starting to appear on his forehead. But he fought to remain calm. He felt that he would never get an answer if he lashed out now or broke something. Elijah watched the scene anxiously. To him it almost looked like a test. Klaus had to prove himself now or he would lose forever.

Rona stepped closer and walked slowly around the hybrid. The tension in him was almost visible, tangible from the outside. It was as if the air around him was flickering. As Rona reached her starting point again she cocked her head to the side and there was something in her eyes that looked like she was impressed. She took a deep breath.

"Well, we don't know how to get you out of here and into there." Klaus closed his eyes and breathed. "There is no way for us to help you." He listened to her words and let them sink in. "We cannot do anything about this." He breathed them in and let them travel to his heart where they scorched and burnt like hell fire. They burnt their way to his core and set his memories on fire.

He heard Caroline's laughter in his ears and watched her face light up when she showed her white teeth while laughing at him or with him. Her hair shining in the bright sunlight. The edges of this memory started to crumble slowly. As if he had set a photograph on fire. They crumbled and turned brown, erasing it slowly.

"Niklaus." He heard Elijah's voice saying his name. He tried to ignore the fire inside him and opened his eyes. He hadn't noticed that he had knelt down on the floor clutching at his hurting chest. Elijah's hands were on his back, holding him in a comforting gesture.

Klaus tried to breathe, but it only burnt more.

Elijah looked at his brother worriedly who tried to hold himself together. He remained silent for a whole while that even Rebekah and Kol who had not yet said a word stepped closer to watch what was going on.

Suddenly a choke escaped Klaus. A contorted choke that erupted into a snigger and a mad laughter.

"I believe." Klaus laughed and it sounded as mad and broken as it got and Rebekah was sure that he was losing it now once and for all. "that hell has caught up with me after all."

Rona started to laugh as well and Elijah looked angrily at her. He tried to figure out if she was laughing at Klaus or with him, but he could not tell.

Finally she stopped and Klaus too. He slowly got to his feet looking ashen.

"If you will excuse me now." He said monotone and without any emotion. He turned around brushing Elijah's hands off and walked towards the door.

Mona had let go of her nails and watched the scene interested. She now cleared her throat. "Don't you want to hear all of it?"

Klaus stopped dead and turned around. "All of it?" He whispered and it was evident that he did not dare to hope.

Mona sighed. "Why are you toads always so impatient? Tz. Rona?"

Rona straightened. "Well, I said that we could do nothing about it, but that does not mean nothing about it can be done, does it?"

Klaus pursed her lips, but Rebekah answered before he could. "Oh, don't try to be smart. Spill already!" Rona threw her an angry glare and Elijah put his hand up in front of his sister.

"Excuse her. Please, do continue."

Rona licked her lips focusing on Klaus now. "There is someone who can help getting you out of here."

He could not conceal the hope showing on his face now. "Who?" He breathed clinging to her lips as she spoke on. It was one word that wiped the hope immediately from his face. "You."

He snorted. "Me?"

She nodded.

"And how do I do that?"

"Do you know why you are here? Do you know what happened before you got here?"

He frowned. "I went to bed and woke up here, so what?"

Rona smiled again and rolled her eyes. "Oh, baby rabbit, so cute! That's what you need to find out first." With that she turned around and a wind started to swirl through the living room. Her edges started to blur.

"Wait! Explain, what do you mean?"

They were already half gone as Mona's voice wavered through the room like an echo from far away.

"Sometimes it helps simply to remember."

The wind ceased as quickly as it had begun and left the vampires staring at the now empty spots.

"Kol, your witches are rubbish." Rebekah said and Kol looked around them as if looking for a sign.

"Careful darling, I'd not be surprised if they could still hear you. Rebekah scoffed, but looked sheepishly around herself. She wouldn't want to get on their bad side.

Klaus looked lost as he stood there with loose shoulders and a face like a wet dog.

Elijah stepped right in front of him to make sure that he would listen to him.

"Niklaus, tell me what you remember."

Klaus looked up at him and sighed before he turned around starting to pace. He rubbed his face.

"I was with Caroline. I…we all had breakfast together." And he could see it clearly in front of him as if he was there.

* * *

 _Stefan and Rebekah were flirting which had somehow truly annoyed him. They had smiled at each other and been fooling around about some ridiculously mundane stuff. He remembered that Caroline had taken his hand under the table to transfer his attention from his sister towards her._

 _Elijah was hidden behind a huge foreign newspaper. He had recently developed a hang of reading newspapers from all over the world. This one was in German._

 _Klaus deemed it unnecessary and a waste of time, but he too needed to find something else to occupy his time with._

 _Kol had been absent that morning, but Klaus had heard his whisper through the walls. He had been on the phone with someone, probably the Bennett witch who had somehow taken an interest in him._

 _He had sauntered into the kitchen mere minutes later and announced that he intended to go to a witch council that night._

" _It's going to be a huge event, like some sort of ritual from a religious order where they talk to the dead and look into the future. Every supernatural creature is welcome to watch and there will be a band playing afterwards."_

 _Elijah put the paper down. "Sounds like an cult to me. Niklaus, what do you think?"_

 _He was silent as he contemplated._

" _I think I am coming." Announced Caroline and Kol grinned at her. "I mean sounds like fun." She shrugged being in her outgoing mood._

" _I don't think this is a good idea." Klaus disagreed. He looked at Elijah. "Sounds like they are gathering supernatural creatures."_

" _Do you believe it's a trap?" Elijah asked and Klaus shrugged._

 _Kol groaned. "They are not even all real witches. Some of them are humans believing to have powers. It'll be like one of those human events where everyone falls for the tricks of a so called fortune teller."_

 _Klaus shook his head. "It's too risky."_

 _Caroline shrugged. "Well, then I'll go with Kol."_

* * *

"And what then, brother?"

Klaus was still pacing gripping his head as if it would break apart if he let go. "I…" He stopped and turned around to Elijah looking frightened. "I don't know."

Rebekah crossed her arms. "What do you mean, you don't know?"

Klaus looked at her. "It means that I can't remember! There is this massive black hole in my head!" He looked helplessly at Elijah. "I can't remember what happened then. The witch was right." He admitted silently.

"Well, maybe you did go to this gathering." Kol suggested. "And then something happened there."

Klaus looked sour. "You and your stupid ideas!" He spit.

Kol smirked. "Sounds pretty amazing to me."

"Kol, you are not helping here." Elijah scolded. "But you might be right. Niklaus, something might have happened there."

But Klaus shook his head. "I doubt I had gone there. I was so reluctant to go, why would I anyway?"

Rebekah pursed her lips. "Well, this Caroline wanted to go right?"

Klaus looked at her and it was as if she had pulled the rug from under him. Caroline had wanted to go. He was determined not to go, afraid of it being a trap, but Caroline had wanted to go. And he would do everything for her. So, maybe he did go after all?

But if he did, what had happened then?

Suddenly he turned as white as a sheet as fear caught on to him.

"Niklaus?" Elijah asked worried. "Brother what is it?" He stepped closer afraid that Klaus would fall down any second.

"What if it isn't just me?" He whispered. "What if we all went? What if something happened to all of us?" His heart tried to run from the fear that had gripped it. He felt his lungs collapse and he slightly started to panic. What if they were hurt? He looked at his siblings: Rebekah, Kol, Elijah. And what about Caroline? Stefan and Bonnie?

Maybe it had been a ruse and they had been taken hostage and were being tortured right now, just like he was. Or maybe it was so much worse. Maybe they were already dead…

Elijah saw the signs. "Niklaus, please calm down! We will figure this out."

Klaus took one or two deep breaths and tried to calm down. He nodded slowly. "Yes."

He had to believe that they would. That everything could be right again.

"So, the question is: How do we get his memories back?" Kol asked. "Sounds too easy if you ask me." But he sounded as if he meant the exact opposite. Which was true, because how do you make someone remember?

"We'll start with the place where everything happened." Elijah said.

They arrived of the site where the event would have taken place an hour later.

It was a meadow in the middle of a forest. The grass stood high against the grey sky. They looked around, but there was nothing there. There was nothing special about that place at all.

"Is this it?" Rebekah asked disappointed. She had obviously expected something else as had everyone else in all honesty.

Klaus walked right into the middle of the clearing trying to feel something, trying to figure something out or whatever. But he simply looked into every direction and felt nothing at all.

Kol had his hands inside his pockets.

No one knew what to do or what to say.

Elijah walked silently up to his brother to stand behind him. "We'll figure something out." He told him reassuringly.

"What if we don't?"

* * *

"We will!" He told Caroline.

She nodded. "You're right." She said smiling at Elijah.

"You are a very strong woman, Caroline. Do you know that?"

She sighed. "I think so. Yes. Well, I had no choice, but to be strong." She said and there was a little bit of sadness in her eyes. But if she was honest with herself, she wouldn't have it any other way. She was proud of who she had become and she knew that even her friends admired her for it. She had excelled as a vampire, so she had literally been born to die. A rare gift, as Klaus had said once and she liked to look at it from such a positive perspective.

"And you never gave up. I do admire you for that Caroline. Many other would have failed." He said and Caroline turned to look at him. "You…you admire me? You? You are like that wisest man I know." She laughed. "Elijah, don't be ridiculous!"

Elijah shook his head. "I disagree there, Miss Forbes. I am not wiser than my brother, would you consider him wise? Niklaus, I mean? No, no one would and yet sometimes he can be. I am no better than him, but you, you are still pure despite your nature. Your soul is still intact and untarnished. And if I had one wish, I'd beg of you to keep it that way."

Caroline shook her head. "You are praising me too much, Elijah. Please, don't put me on a pedestal."

"I beg to differ. You are hope, Caroline and that is something all of us need."

Caroline suddenly felt uncomfortable. Elijah was thinking too highly of her and she could not forget the way he had acted yesterday. She asked herself if she was brave enough to speak about it. She should definitely mention it. She closed her eyes. Okay, Caroline, now.

"Elijah, we are family, right?"

He looked at her full of surprise. "Of course, we are, why would you ask?"

"Like brother and sister, right?"

"Surely." He studied her face carefully. "Caroline, tell me what is the matter?"

"You see, I was afraid that the dynamics had changed now that Klaus is kind of absent and I am afraid that it will and I don't want anything to get weird, because I am really happy with Klaus and I don't want to get in the middle of anything, because that always ends badly, we've witnessed that time and time again and you are the only true brother I ever had, well apart from Stefan, but…do you know what I mean?" She bit onto her lip feeling her face getting hot. She looked probably flushed like a tomato.

Elijah needed a second to reply. "Caroline, you are very important to me, just as much as my brother and I could not steal his happiness away from him. Not again. So, be assured that history will not repeat itself. I will not allow it."

Caroline felt relief at that. She leaned against his shoulder and felt so much better doing it now.

"Good."

"I am glad that you'll be with Niklaus, despite what he has done…"

"Do you believe he is being punished for what happened?" Caroline asked and Elijah pursed his lips.

* * *

Klaus was exhausted. It had been two difficult weeks for him. Some vampires had tried to start a revolt which had to be put own, before it got out of hand. He had raged and killed and spilled lots of blood to gain the upper hand.

He was far more short tempered than he had ever been these days. It only took something small, something very little und redundant and he would snap at the click of his finger and burst.

Elijah was worrying about him, but Rebekah and Kol acted very differently. Klaus didn't pay any attention to them, but Elijah noticed the little smile and smirks whenever Klaus went off. They threw knowing glances at each other and Elijah watched it with concerned eyes.

Klaus was in the living room pacing like he always did when he tried to remember what he had forgotten. Caroline's face was vivid in front of his eyes, but the edges were slowly blurred and the colours weren't as bright as he had once seen them. It was as if the rain had washed out the image. She was fading, slowly, but surely and Klaus was afraid of what was about to happen.

He needed to remember.

Rebekah was leaning in the doorway crossing her arms over her chest. She smirked.

"What, Bekah?"

"If you keep going at that pace you might manage to break the floor in less than a week."

"I am not in the mood for one of your games."

"Oh, I know. You're trying to remember. Your facade is cracking, you know?"

Klaus stopped in his tracks and looked at her. "What are you talking about?"

She laughed. "I haven't bought it, you know. It just was too good to be true. I wanted to believe it, but believe it or not I know my brothers. And most of all I know you!"

Klaus clenched his fists and pumped up his chest. "Bekah, what are you saying?"

"You have kept the act up for some time and even though I still don't know what you are on about, I will find it out!" She stepped into the room and she and Klaus started to circle each other like the predators that they were.

"I know who you are. You are the evil brother that you are and lately you have shown me all the reason why I am right. Why we are right." Klaus tilted his head at the word "we". "We were always right and you yourself were dumb enough to give us another shot." The hairs at the back of his neck stood at edge. Something was wrong, he could sense that. The room temperature changed.

"You are right to do what?" He asked and his face darkened.

"Why we are and were always right to kill you!" She answered. Klaus sensed the presence behind him just a little too late. Someone jumped onto his back biting into the side of his neck. He recognised his little brother immediately though. Rebekah pulled a white oak stake from behind her back and came running towards him. He roared and screamed pushing Kol into the wall behind him, but he was not shaken.

Rebekah screamed as well as she was still aiming at his chest with the stake in hand. Klaus managed to throw Kol off and lunged for his sister's throat. He grabbed it tightly between his fingers, but at the same time he felt the prickling sensation that grew hotter and hotter as the tip of the stake cut his skin. Suddenly, however Rebekah was thrown off him and the stake left his skin that immediately cooled off again. He took a deep breath.

Elijah had Rebekah in a headlock, but Kol started at Klaus again and tried to bury his hand in his chest, but Klaus was still stronger and broke his arm instead.

Rebekah in the meantime had broken free of Elijah and lunged at Klaus who spun around grabbing her throat again and her head smashed against the wall behind her. There were tears in her eyes and she looked at him with so much disdain.

"I hate you!" She choked. Klaus panted. "Let me go!" She demanded.

"No." Klaus snarled.

"What then?" She croaked. "Are you going to put me into a box again?" Klaus tried to figure out what to do now. Would he really put a dagger into her heart again? "Shame you cannot compel us, isn't it?"

Something clicked inside his head suddenly.

There was anger, rage and regret inside of him whirling together like a storm. And there was this voice. _"Let me go!" "No!"_

He let go of Rebekah and stepped into the middle of the room looking around in confusion. He felt weird. Something was wrong. Something was not right.

His family watched him as his eyes glazed over. What was happening to him?

His head started to hurt and was about to explode. In slow motion he fell to the floor.

"What had happened?" He asked himself. "What?"

There was something knocking at the door inside of his head demanding entry. And he tried to pull the door open. He really tried but it was too fast sealed.

However the knocks got louder and fiercer and then suddenly the door burst open.

* * *

" _You are not telling me what to do!" Caroline screamed furiously. She was running through their room gathering her stuff._

" _You will not leave this house, Caroline!" Klaus responded just as angrily._

" _I will go to that thing and if you don't want to come that's fine, but do not tell me what to do, do you hear me, Klaus Mikaelson? I am not your minion!"_

" _No you are not, but you will not go! It might be a trap and then what? You get kidnapped or killed and I have to either save you or mourn your dead body, that's not going to happen, love!"_

 _She had grabbed her purse and jacket and was determined to leave the house tonight._

" _Go out of my way!" Klaus was blocking the doorway._

" _No." He said._

" _Well." Caroline cocked her eyebrows as if he was challenging her. "Fine then." She kneed him in the groin, hit hard against the side of his neck and grabbed his arm with her other hand, quickly turned it around and onto his back. Klaus had not expected her blow and even though he did not give in, he gave Caroline enough time to flash passed him and towards the front door._

 _However Klaus was much faster than her and caught up with her exactly in front of the door. He looked menacingly down at her._

" _Let me go!" Caroline said pushing him backwards. Klaus grabbed her shoulders looked her into the eyes and demanded: "You are not going to leave this house without my permission!"_

 _Before he even realised what he had done it was too late to take anything back._

 _Caroline's shoulder slumped and Klaus let immediately go of her. He looked terrified and Caroline looked just as terrified back at him. Her eyes filled with tears. She was flexing her jaw angrily and shook her head._

" _I'm so sorry!" Klaus whispered._

 _Caroline just looked at him with as much disgust as she could muster up before she flashed away and upstairs._

 _Klaus looked at Elijah who had appeared in a doorway looking absolutely disappointed with him._

" _Niklaus!" He told him off and Klaus actually started to feel the burning of tears in his eyes._

" _I didn't mean to." He whispered helplessly. "I…It just happened."_

 _Elijah closed his eyes listening to Caroline's cries upstairs._

 _The one thing she would never tolerate. The one thing that could destroy their trust irreparably._

* * *

Klaus opened his eyes again.

His cheeks were wet as he suddenly remembered the night. The events that had really happened. That he had buried deep within his mind, simply wanting to forget that they ever happened. He wished he could make them undone.

Suddenly he noticed the presence behind him and wheeled around.

He gasped. "Caroline!"

She was standing behind him looking as radiant as ever. His heart skipped a beat at seeing her here. He wanted to do nothing more than embrace her and never let go again.

"Love, I am so sorry!"

But she shook her head. "I am not her."

Klaus immediately took a step back going all defensive. "Who are you?" He snarled.

Caroline grinned. "I am you."

He frowned. "What?"

"I am a part of you. The part of her inside of you. Your mating bond tied you two together. Like when two strings become one. There are two pieces, two different parts becoming the same and I am her part inside of you." As he wondered if that made sense she went on.

"I am the part inside of you that will always protect Caroline from her worst enemy. From yourself. You violated your mating bond by violating her essence. Your bond exists because she loves you and she can only do that because she trusts you. If you break that trust and undo it there will be severe consequences for your bond and I am here to protect it. You wanted to forget what you had done. You wanted to forget your mistakes, but you must never forget your mistakes, not if they are severe enough to endanger the foundation of your bond."

"I am so sorry." Klaus repeated for a lack of anything else to say.

"You have changed. You've seen what you'd be if your wishes had come true. You would have had everything and yet nothing. You would have gotten what you wanted but not what you needed. Now, tell me, is it happiness that happens when your dreams come true?"

Klaus remained silent.

"Tell me, what you want?"

He swallowed. "I want to go home."

Caroline smiled and nodded. "You needed to see this. It's part of the development of your mating bond. And now." She raised her hand and snapped her fingers.

* * *

Klaus drew a deep breath like a man about to drown. He gasped for air and looked around.

He was lying in his bed. This was his room, but not as he had last seen it. He was still gasping for air for all of his insides burnt. His veins were rubbing together like sandpaper. But he still noticed the faint floral scent lingering inside of the rom. His mouth was dry.

And then he noticed the small picture hanging on the wall on the opposite side of him. It was small, but spoke volumes. His heart skipped a beat. Was it really?

His eyes burnt, but he didn't know if it was because of his pain or because he recognized the sound of the steps flying up the stairs.

"Niklaus!"

He chocked and wheezed. "I am so sorry." He coughed again and tried to sit up. "I am so sorry."

"Sh, it's okay." Caroline put her hand against his cheek looking utterly relieved and happy. "It's okay! I am glad you are back!"


End file.
